Terrapins head coach Mike Locksley and his defensive coaching staff are going to need to find a way to generate pressure on the opposing team's quarterback differently than how they imagined this summer. That's because rising sophomore pass rusher Zahir Mathis will be out of the entire 2026 college football season, according to USA TODAY Sports and 247Sports affiliate InsideMDSports. He suffered the long-term injury in practice. Mathis' absence will be a tough hole to fill for Locksley, as the edge rusher was an emerging star as a freshman. He posted six sacks in 11 games, and 8.5 tackles for loss. He put up the impressive pass rushing numbers despite missing two games due to injury.
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Freshman edge rusher Zion Elee would no longer appear to have the luxury of being eased into the rotation, but he does have the pedigree to pick up where Mathis left off a year ago. Contact/Follow @College_Wire on X and @College_Wires on Threads. Like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of college sports news, notes, and opinions. This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Maryland loses emerging pass rusher to season-ending injury